2XKO – Roughly 80 Employees Were Laid Off as Part of Team Size Shrinking

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Shortly after the release of the fighting game 2XKO, Riot Games announced it was reducing the size of the development team. Initially, the company didn’t say how many people would be affected, but they’ve now confirmed to Game Developer that around 80 employees – roughly half the team – are impacted by the changes.

Tom Cannon, the executive producer of 2XKO, said the team is being reduced because the game wasn’t gaining enough traction to justify maintaining its original size long-term.

That decision wasn’t made easily. As we brought 2XKO to consoles, we noticed clear patterns in how players were enjoying the game. While a dedicated group of players really loves it, overall it hasn’t gained enough traction to justify the cost of maintaining a large development team in the long run, he said.

From now on, a smaller team will be responsible for improving 2XKO. Despite this change, the company still plans to fully support the game’s competitive scene in 2026 and will continue working with tournament organizers and local communities.

We’re streamlining our team to concentrate on making important improvements to the game, addressing feedback we’ve received from players. We’ll be sharing details about these plans shortly, Cannon explained.

Riot Games is committed to supporting affected employees during these layoffs. They will receive at least six months of pay as notice, plus severance, and are encouraged to look for other roles within the company.

Cannon admitted this update will likely cause some confusion and worry, which he said is perfectly normal. He assured everyone they’ll keep sharing information as things develop. He also expressed gratitude for the incredible enthusiasm and dedication the 2XKO community has shown, emphasizing that this passion will be key to making the game even better going forward.

2XKO first launched on PC in October 2025 as an Early Access game. In January, Riot Games expanded its availability by releasing the fighting game on consoles. The game had been in development for a while, initially known as Project L before officially becoming 2XKO in February 2024.

Riot Games designed 2XKO to appeal to both new and experienced fighting game players. Our review awarded it a 9/10, praising its easy-to-learn gameplay, helpful tutorials, and smooth online play. We did have some concerns about how the game might be monetized and that many characters aren’t immediately available.

Riot Games is also developing its own massively multiplayer online role-playing game, but they haven’t shared any information about it yet.

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2026-02-10 16:11